ROCHESTER, N.Y. — A Rochester man will spend the next year in prison for orchestrating a marriage fraud scheme in which men in the country illegally married American women in the hopes of obtaining citizenship.

The US attorney general's office says between November 2015 and September 2016, Jamar Thomas, 30, worked to arrange the marriage of Nigerian men to women from the United States associated with him.

What Thomas didn't know was at least one of the men who paid him thousands of dollars to be married was a confidential informant.

On at least two occasions, the town clerk who performed the ceremonies was actually an undercover agent.

The three women who played a role in the scheme were also convicted. 

“Marriage fraud undermines our nation’s legitimate immigration system and creates a potential vulnerability for law-abiding citizens,” says Kevin Kelly, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations in Buffalo. “Anyone who engages in marriage fraud is taking an illegal shortcut to US citizenship. HSI will continue to aggressively investigate this type of criminal activity.”